A major topic of discussion in Glass is the conventions and clichés of the typical superhero story, mostly said by the title character himself (Samuel L Jackson). Well, one thing about a lot of superhero franchises is that while it’s not uncommon that the second movie in the series is as good or better than the first (Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II, Deadpool 2) , the third, and sometimes fourth, films are when it all starts to get creaky (The Dark Knight Rises, Superman III and IV, and of course, the Schumacher Batman flicks). Glass, the third entry in a trilogy preceded by Unbreakable and Split, is no exception.

Don’t get me wrong, Glass isn’t really a bad film. In this age where you can’t throw a stone without hitting a big, loud comic book flick, a more low-key superhero movie is welcome. However, like its more light-hearted cousins, Glass suffers from the Law of Diminishing Returns. James McAvoy returns as “The Horde” from Split, and while he does get some good lines, he isn’t as creepy or memorable as he was in his previous film. When he collaborates with Mr. Glass, the latter does bring up the “villain team-up” comic cliché, but that doesn’t stop the alliance from reminding one of the villain team-ups from the aforementioned Schumacher Batmans, more than the film would have liked.

In fact, “good, but not as good as it could have been” is a good way to describe this movie. You’ll be entertained by it, but there’s still the sense there’s something missing. The movie does have an appropriate setting for these characters to unite (a place called “Ravenhill” is sure to have shades of Arkham) but it doesn’t really feel enough is done with it. There is, of course, a twist, but it’s one you’ll probably guess. That said, there is still good in this movie, with Willis, McAvoy and Jackson pulling in good performances and some effective scenes. It’s not Shyamalan’s best but it’s far, far from his worst.

Aquaman’s reputation for a good chunk of his comic career was as a punchline. “The power to talk to fish” isn’t as desirable a power as being able to fly or shoot lasers from your eyes, and cartoons and comedians have made sure to remind viewers of that whenever they speak of Aquaman. It is somewhat fitting then, that Aquaman is the funniest entry in the DC Extended Universe. Forget the grimness of Man of Steel and the groanworthy comedy of Suicide Squad, Aquaman is genuinely funny and fun and an utter delight to watch.

Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was one of the few highlights in the mostly-dull Justice League, but here’s where he really gets his chance to shine. He’s clearly having a blast playing this character, showing more personality in one film than Superman showed in three. He always has a humorous line when the situation calls for comic relief, but this does nothing to make him any less sympathetic or likeable. This is probably the most “Marvel-esque” of the DCEU films, and I mean that as a compliment.

A lot of DC’s most recent output has been attempting to showcase how serious and dark Batman and Superman can be, but as Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and The Lego Batman Movie has shown, DC is more enjoyable when it’s embracing the weirdness and absurdity of the past than attempting to ignore it. This film includes fantastical underwater kingdoms, armies made up of nautical monstrosities, and even a locale that calls to mind Doyle’s Lost World and all of them a wonder to behold. This is definitely the biggest visual feast of the DC Universe, with the technologically-advanced city of Atlantis being spectacular and even ethereally beautiful (it even seems that DC has heard all those comments about “why are DC trying to be overly dark and gritty when Marvel has a talking raccoon in their movies”, as Aquaman not only has a octopus playing drums and a reaction shot from a goat, but an entire army of crab people).

The film may be a little too long, and I wouldn’t say it’s as good as Wonder Woman, but Aquaman is still highly recommended for those who want a high-octane, humorous, superhero thrill ride.

One look at Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms will instantly remind one of their earlier Alice in Wonderland and Oz: The Great and Powerful, where the Mouse took classic children’s novels and added armour, swordplay and prophecies to disappointing results. The films boasted excellent, jaw-dropping scenery and some entertaining performances but were ultimately empty and forgettable, with The Nutcracker and the Four Realms being little different.

Nutcracker is slightly better than the aforementioned Alice and Oz, however, especially when it comes to source material. If you’re going to make an epic fantasy out of a children’s favourite, ETA Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King makes more sense than Wonderland and Oz, given that there were battles and grudges in there already (even if the ultimate fight between the two title characters takes place off-screen). Unlike Alice and Oz, Nutcracker is not a sequel or a prequel but a reimagining, so it’s a little easier to judge it on its own rather than against its source material.

That said, fans of the novel may be disappointed in some of the choices made. Mouserinks in the film may steal a key and call upon an army of mice to form a giant mouse, but is not as interesting or memorable as her novel counterpart; the evil mother of the Mouse King who curses a princess with ugliness and made the Nutcracker what he was in the first place. Speaking of the Mouse King, while a giant mouse made up of smaller mice is a good idea, a large, seven-headed monstrous mouse would have been more welcome.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms seems to have several influences other than the novel and the ballet, so you’ll also find a bit of Babes in Toyland, Narnia and even Frankenstein in this film, which sadly make the script feel disjointed and the world feel less real. A shame because, once again, the world created for this film looks marvellous. Despite the film’s title, we only spend a little time in realms other than the sinister “Fourth Realm”, which perfectly captures that cliché that refuses to die: the haunted abandoned amusement park. It is so beautifully sinister it almost justifies the too-close-to-Halloween-for-a-Christmas-film release date.

The cast is a mixed bag. Morgan Freeman was the perfect choice to play Drosselmeyer, but sadly, we do not see much of him. Keira Knightley, in a role that takes influence from Glinda the Good Witch, is a delight to watch, but Mackenzie Foy, playing heroine Clara, sleepwalks through the role, making it hard to care about the story and her adventure.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms provides some entertainment and some interesting, surreal visuals, but don’t expect anything you haven’t seen before.

The Nun, the latest film spun off from 2013’s The Conjuring, certainly seems to have an appreciation for the classical elements of the horror genre. Several scenes take place in a fog-shrouded graveyard with constant shots of crows perching, the very place you’d expect Scooby Doo to sneak around in. The opening scene includes a door that leads to a dark abyss, doors opening by themselves, candles going out and upside-down crosses, all the types of things you’d expect to find in a theme park haunted house, and these things only get more frequent as the film continues.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and The Nun could have been a frightening and fun film even with these clichés, but sadly, the clichés are made even more stale by attaching them to a dull and lifeless story that makes an hour and a half seem like an eternity. The two main characters – priest Father Burke (Demian Bichir) and training nun Irene (Taissa Farmiga) – are played well enough, but there isn’t really anything that interesting about them. Burke is similar to The Exorcist’s Lankester Merrin – an exorcist battling his own demons – but never comes off as engaging nor are the demons he faces as frightening as Pazuzu. The demonic nuns, who bear more than a passing resemblance to Kurt Barlow from the Salem’s Lot miniseries, are more laughable than terrifying.

A good horror film should have you hiding under the seat, hoping the terror will pass and that the main characters will survive. The Conjuring franchise can create a movie like this, as last year’s Annabelle Creation proved, but watching The Nun, you’ll just wish it’ll end.

One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most impressive feats is how it takes previously fairly-obscure superheroes and brings them vividly to a mainstream audience. Iron Man and most recently Black Panther are good examples of this, and so is Ant-Man, though that movie was not as good as the previous two. Nonetheless, it was thrilling and funny, and the idea of a superhero-themed heist movie is still a novel idea. After the events of Infinity War, the MCU needed a “breather” film and Ant-Man and the Wasp delivers on that front; enjoyable and entertaining without the stakes of the previous two 2018 MCU movies (Infinity War is referenced here, not to spoil anything).

Long ago, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) were Ant-Man and the Wasp, but Janet ended up lost in “the quantum realm” after shrinking too small. Since in the previous film, the new Ant-Man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) entered the quantum realm and escaped, Hank and his daughter Hope, the latest Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), hope to find Janet. Hank, Hope and Scott all work together in hopes of rescuing Janet, but their plans are complicated not only by Scott’s house arrest, but a mysterious figure called “Ghost” (Hannah John-Kamen) who wants Hank’s technology to cure her unstable condition.

Ant-Man and the Wasp can’t really be called one of Marvel’s best films, but it isn’t really trying to be. It’s meant to be really nothing more but a fun superhero romp and it certainly succeeds there, like its predecessor did. In fact, in some ways, it’s an improvement over Ant-Man, like how the villain this time is a lot more interesting. Ghost does some questionable things in her quest to become normal again, but thanks to John-Kamen’s acting, one really does want to see her achieve her goal. It seems Marvel’s villain problem may have been solved now that they’ve brought audiences three successfully sympathetic antagonists in a row.

The rest of the cast also excels, bringing plenty of humour and joy to their characters. Rudd is definitely a highlight, having plenty of amusing banter both with Douglas and Lilly and with his ex-con friends, and he brilliantly reveals his frustration at figuring out how his new size-changing suit works. Probably the best thing about this movie is how much pleasure it takes in finding ways to use Pym’s size-changing technology, with entire buildings being carried around like suitcases and actual cars being stored in a Hot Wheels carrying case.

Ant-Man and the Wasp may not be as good as this year’s last two MCU entries (or Deadpool 2 really), but it is still immensely enjoyable.

I’ve recently started publishing reviews on Hubpages as well, along with some poems, so please check that out.

In the not-too-distant future, nurse Jean Thomas (Jodie Foster) runs the titular Hotel Artemis, an exclusive hospital catering towards criminals. One night, during a violent street riot, the hospital receives a number of visitors that may spell trouble: bank-robbing brothers Sherman (Sterling K Brown) and Lev (Bryan Tyree Henry), assassin Nice (Sofia Boutella) and arms dealer Acapulco (Charlie Day). Having them in the hospital is bad enough, but there’s also a cop, Morgan (Jenny Slate), who comes hoping for medical assistance and has some connection to Thomas, and the city’s biggest crime boss “The Wolf King” (Jeff Goldblum) is coming as well.

As Hotel Artemis sets up the eponymous hospital and those within it, it does make one want to keep watching and find out more. The characters get quite a few entertaining interactions with each other, with Foster being a highlight, playing a character who almost has always something to respond with to her more difficult clients. You can really tell this a person who has dealt with this sort of thing for a long time. The other actors also play their characters well, and make one interested as to how their stories will collide.

The Hotel itself, like it should, is a character itself, and its dark, grave corridors and its mixing of classic aesthetic and futuristic technology create a fittingly dystopian atmosphere. It’s an intriguingly sinister place filled with intriguingly sinister characters, but they sadly seem to overstay their welcome. Foster and Brown are such good actors that one wants to see their characters pull through, and there are some good moments near the ending – including one involving a 3D printer – but the story grows less interesting the more it continues, with the action and resolutions not being as good as they could have been.

That said, Hotel Artemis is still a fun movie. It is a film one can watch again and again, but it’ll hardly stick in your memory.

Do you remember 2012’s Avengers Assemble and how unbelievable it sounded back then? After getting they each got their own big-screen movie, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America appear alongside each other in another big release. Six years and several Marvel movies later, the cast of Avengers Assemble seems downright quaint with the release of Avengers: Infinity War, which has the cast of Assemble along with Doctor Strange, Spider-man, the Guardians of the Galaxy and more. However, with so many interconnected Marvel movies released as well as other films like DC’s dull Justice League, the novelty of so many heroes in one film has worn off somewhat.

Yes, Infinity War, being the culmination of ten years of Marvel movies is far from what you would call a standalone film. While you could go into Black Panther or Spider-man Homecoming without watching any prior Marvel releases, this does require a decent knowledge of past films to really enjoy and understand.

Infinity War is best enjoyed with a good knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and with as little knowledge about the film itself as possible, so I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum. The crossover aspect of Infinity War works mostly with some good interactions between close comrades and heroes who have never met until this moment. Everything you liked about these characters in previous movies is on full display here, maybe a little too much as Infinity War often feels like a “Marvel Universe’s Greatest Hits” (which I suppose is appropriate given the prominence of the Guardians in this film).

The amount of characters does often make the story feel a little jumbled and overlong, and sometimes like you’re watching two separate films sewn together. One strength of the MCU movies is how each one feels distinct, and that feels a little too apparent here. The characters are still entertaining and sympathetic (but again, it’s better if you’ve watched their movies first) and Thanos is actually more than just a big bad world-destroying villain. The visuals are once again fantastic, for there are a lot of worlds to explore this time, and the action is very well-staged and exciting.

Avengers: Infinity War is extremely enjoyable, as have been most Marvel movies, with plenty of action, humour and even some effectively emotional moments. But is it the best MCU movie ever? Not really.